How to help reluctant readers become book lovers

I sometimes wonder who I would have become had I not spent so much of my childhood lost inside books. I can still picture myself sitting cross-legged on the carpet, utterly absorbed in the adventures of Tom Sawyer, following Lyra Belacqua across frozen landscapes, or setting off beside Bilbo Baggins into Middle-earth. Those stories entertained me, certainly, but they also quietly shaped how I understood courage, kindness, injustice and hope. It is difficult to imagine the person I would be without them.

Perhaps that is why the National Literacy Trust's latest research feels so unsettling. Their Annual Literacy Survey 2024, based on responses from more than 76,000 children and young people across the UK, found that only one in three children aged eight to eighteen now say they enjoy reading in their free time. It is a stark reminder that something many of us once took for granted is slowly slipping away.

It would be easy to blame smartphones. Certainly, children today have never had more competition for their attention. Games, videos and social media provide constant entertainment, requiring far less patience than settling into a book. But, as with most complex problems, there is unlikely to be a single explanation.

Schools themselves are under enormous pressure. With growing emphasis on assessments and measurable outcomes, reading can begin to feel like another task to complete rather than a source of pleasure. At home, many families simply have fewer books than previous generations. The National Literacy Trust reports that one in twelve children owns no books at all, rising to one in eight amongst disadvantaged children. And when books are absent from daily life, it becomes much harder for children to discover the joy they can bring.

Yet statistics only tell part of the story.

Every child has the potential to become a reader. More often than not, it is simply a question of finding the right book at the right moment. The child who has no interest in a classic novel may devour a graphic novel. The reluctant reader who avoids chapter books might become fascinated by football annuals, wildlife encyclopaedias or comic books. Reading for pleasure has never depended on reading the "right" books; it depends on reading books that matter to the child holding them.

That freedom to choose is perhaps one of the greatest gifts adults can offer. We are often tempted to steer children towards books we loved ourselves or books we believe they should read. But enthusiasm cannot be prescribed. It grows when children are allowed to follow their own curiosity.

The environment we create matters too. A home filled with books need not resemble a library. A basket of stories beside the sofa, books tucked into the car or left by a bedside table, regular trips to the local library—these small, ordinary habits quietly tell children that books belong in everyday life.

And then there is the simple act of reading together.

Many parents stop reading aloud once children become independent readers. Yet sharing stories remains one of the most powerful ways of nurturing a love of reading. Whether it is a picture book before bed, taking turns with a novel, or listening to an audiobook on a long car journey, these moments transform reading from a solitary task into something shared. Stories become conversations. Characters become family acquaintances. Books become memories.

Children also notice what we do far more than what we say. If they see adults reading newspapers, novels, recipes or magazines for pleasure, they begin to understand that reading is not simply something done at school—it is part of an interesting and curious life.

If your child doesn't enjoy reading today, it doesn't mean they never will. Reading habits are rarely fixed. Interests change. Confidence grows. Sometimes all it takes is one remarkable story to unlock a lifetime of reading.

The worlds waiting inside books are every bit as exciting as they were when I first met Tom Sawyer, Lyra Belacqua and Bilbo Baggins. Our task is simply to help children discover the doorway.

More ideas to help encourage a love of reading....

• Visit the library once a month. Make it routine, commit to it, do it together.
• Provide child(red) with high-quality, engaging books (see The StoryBox Co. booklists for ideas, or read this to get an idea of where to start.)
• leave books in baskets in every room in the house, by the bed or in the car, rotate titles regularly to keep interest high.
• Display covers face-out on bookshelves.
• Take a special trip to a bookshop, allow your child to buy any book they want and you buy one that you can both read together.
• Read to your children every night before bed, even if they can read independently. 
• Listen to audiobooks together on car journeys.
• Talk about books, ask questions, share your thoughts and be curious.
• Subscribe to some quality children's magazines like Aquila, National Geographic Kids or The Pheonix.
• Don't underestimate the power of audiobooks and graphic novels!
• Surprise your child(ren) with a book you've got them from a shop or the library. Sometimes saying 'I saw this and thought you might enjoy it because it's about a football crazy kid like you' can be incredibly powerful.